1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to clinching apparatus, and more particularly to a foot-operated press for applying fastener elements such as buttons to garment articles.
2. Prior Art
There have been proposed many different forms of apparatus designed to apply fastener elements such as buttons, rivets, eyelets, ornaments and the like to substrates such as garment fabrics or other sheet materials. A typical example of such apparatus is a press having a punch-and-die assembly and a lever mechanism driven by a foot pedal for actuating a ram which carries a punch, the foot pedal being pressed to provide a downward stroke of the ram thereby driving one of the fastener elements into the other fastener element underlying the substrate on the die. This type of apparatus known in the art is designed such that the foot pedal returns to its initial position immediately upon releasing the operator's foot from the pedal, and consequently the punch ascends regardless of whether or not the two fastener elements have been joined properly together on the substrate. Therefore, it would often happen that a given cycle of attaching the buttons or the like goes unnoticed or unchecked as to completion of the full clinching of the two mating fastener elements.